This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Automotive axle assemblies typically include a hypoid input pinion that is meshingly engaged to a bevel ring gear. During manufacturing of the hypoid input pinion and the ring gear and/or the assembly process for an axle assembly, it is common practice to visually inspect the contact area between the mating teeth of the hypoid input pinion and the bevel ring gear. While some have suggested the use of sophisticated inspection tooling, it is common practice to use a conventional gear marking compound. For example, a gear marking compound can be applied to the bevel ring gear; the hypoid input pinion can be rotated several revolutions to mesh the teeth of the hypoid input pinion with the teeth of the bevel ring gear; and because the teeth of the hypoid input pinion slide to a degree on the teeth of the bevel ring gear as they are meshed with one another, the gear marking compound is scraped or worn off in the area where the teeth of the hypoid input pinion contact the teeth of the bevel ring gear.
In some respects, the use of conventional gear marking compounds is disadvantageous because the gear marking compound is messy and can be difficult to remove after the inspection process. Accordingly, an improved method for inspecting contact between mating gears is needed.